My struggle has been with the days where I feel like I’m a balloon that’s had all its air let out. As helpful as it’s been to view my problems as challenges inspiring me to learn more about how my mind works, it’s had a dark side as well. I’ve felt like an idiot with no capacity to learn. I’ve felt like I’ve got a problem, and I’m not capable of the solutions. I’ve felt taunted by this perception of my own incapability. And yet, I’ve still be able to turn new corner after new corner as I’ve grown older. One of the big reasons why I’ve been able to succeed more and more as time goes on is one the same reasons many other troubled young people can as well. Here, I’m going to open your mind to a simple but profound reality of how our minds work. I’m going to tell you about the pre-frontal cortex and how its development is key to our ability to overcome our problems.

The pre-frontal cortex is the large section of our brain sitting just behind the piece of skull in our foreheads. It’s responsible for several key functions, like regulating thoughts, regulating feelings, and making decisions. Our pre-frontal cortex is the single biggest difference between our brains and the brains of animals. It allows us to be self-aware. It allows us to think about thoughts and the thoughts of others. Most importantly for those of us seeking changes in our lives, it’s what allows us to override feelings of fear and hopelessness. With our pre-frontal cortex, we’re able to pursue those improvements we feel we so desperately need. It’s what we use when we’re able to say, “I don’t feel like doing this, but I should do it so I’m going to anyway.” Ultimately, it’s our will-power and what we use most to break through our own mental roadblocks.

If you’re like me and you’ve regularly read posts on this forum made by those asking for help, you may have noticed many people who come here are under the age of 25. You yourself might be below the age of 25. This is important to note because our pre-frontal cortexes are continually growing until we reach our mid-twenties. Part of why it’s so common for young people to come here and ask for help is simple. It’s because our pre-frontal cortexes haven’t fully developed. When we’re young, we’re attempting to carry many of the same burdens as adults do. However, when we’re young, we’re carrying those same burdens without the fully developed pre-frontal cortex that makes them much easier to haul. Before our mind fully develops, we’re attempting to carry burdens with a weaker mental muscle.

Although you may have very different psychological problems than myself, you may be inspired by the same realizations I am. What I like most is genuinely feeling most of the coming days will be better than the days before. Today, as a 29-year-old, that’s usually how I feel. For those of you under the age of 25, I hope you’ll take away one major idea from learning about your pre-frontal cortex. As hard as life can be now, it’s going to get easier if for no other reason than your pre-frontal cortex will be continuing to grow. Your future will be brighter than the past because the part of your brain you use to address these challenges is only going to get stronger. As hard as it can be to say, “I don’t feel like doing this, but I should so I’m going to do it anyway,” it’s going to get easier. On the days where we don’t experience obvious improvements, we can remind ourselves of a simple truth. When we’re young, we’re making progress even when we simply survive another day.